AUA passengers must prepare for higher ticket prices due to higher kerosene prices, said AUA boss Anette Mann on Saturday in Ö1 lunchtime journal. Even if the situation in the Middle East calms down, high prices can still be expected for at least another year.
It is impossible to predict to what extent prices for passengers will rise. For a ticket for 200 euros it could be 5 euros, for another destination it could be 30 euros. “I would like to have ten percent more of what we receive. Then the kerosene prices will probably work out for us,” said Mann.
Kerosene supply secured in summer
She made it clear once again that the supply of kerosene would be secured over the summer. In Vienna you are with the OMV Refinery well looked after in Schwechat. There is no shortage of kerosene in China, Japan and North America. Within Europe you can fill up a little more.
The AUA boss also spoke on Saturday against the cancellation of short-haul flights out of. At the same time, she admitted that these are not always economically profitable. It’s more about securing locations for regional airports like Innsbruck, Klagenfurt or Graz.
“I wouldn’t need these ultra-short-haul flights,” she told the ORF-Radio station. For her, the debate is more about a question of location. “If I were to make a purely economic decision, I would probably no longer have the Innsbruck, Klagenfurt or Graz flight in my portfolio, but of course we also see ourselves as responsible for the location.” For example, Innsbruck has already lost the Frankfurt flight.
New baggage tax due to competition
The AUA boss defended the new Economy Basic tariff on short and medium-haul routes without the previously free transport of a small cabin suitcase. This will expand the range downwards, said Mann. This would mean that the AUA would be listed higher up on comparison portals, which are usually based on price. And the low-cost share in Vienna is 25 to 30 percent.